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Post by wnydel on Oct 5, 2011 0:40:10 GMT
Does anyone have any experience with their products? They make some very attractive looking swords. I'm just dreaming at the moment, but hope to purchase one someday. Anyway, if you have any experience, what do you have? How does it handle? Is it worth the price? Also, any rough guess on what the shipping cost to the US would be? Thanks
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Oct 5, 2011 0:44:15 GMT
Talk to SwordFan; he owns their French Knight, but as far as I know, he's not in the US (Australia, I think, but don't quote me on that), so he can't help you with that, but he should be able to answer most of your other questions.
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Post by Northern Wanderer on Oct 5, 2011 9:10:51 GMT
If this castle keep is the one you are on about: www.castlekeep.co.uk/index.aspThen you should be in good hands, based on the isle of Skye (Scotland), Rob Miller hand forges each piece out of EN45 steel, which I think equates to 5160, the same stuff used in Hanwei/Tinkers, they have a good reputation for handling and finish, and are reputed to be quite tough. A reasonable if old review here on my armoury: www.myarmoury.com/review_ck_xii.htmlFor shipping to the US, I'm afraid I have no idea, Hopefully SwordFan can tell us a bit more about that. Which Sword are you looking at ? I have had my eye on the Type H Viking for a while from this place.
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Post by wnydel on Oct 5, 2011 12:32:07 GMT
Thanks! Yes that is the place. I was looking at the H as well and also at the Suontaka Sword. But honestly, they are all nice. SwordFan must be the one who had the French Knight. I remember seeing pics of it on here and drooling lol. But I never knew who made it.
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Post by chuckinohio on Oct 5, 2011 12:59:32 GMT
Shoot him a PM and ask about the shipping cost.
The shipping cost should be similar, or maybe a shade less coming to the US.
Everything that I have read about their swords leave me with the impression that they are a very safe bet as far as the quality of their products.
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Post by Anders on Oct 5, 2011 13:17:25 GMT
Castle Keep are on the top of my list for a custom project, mostly because I don't know of any other high end custom forge in the EU. (I don't think I can afford ordering a custom from the US, what with crazy import fees.)
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Post by William Swiger on Oct 5, 2011 17:44:59 GMT
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Post by keltic on Oct 9, 2011 18:18:51 GMT
good morrow rob miller is an outstanding sword smith .he helped disine a dirk for the prince of wales of england he did the blade trust me when i tell you this Rob is a master craftsmen. you made a wonderfull choce !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! heres my lasted commision from rob miller custum viking the hard wear on the handle is silver and the blade is hollow ground CHEERS keltic/tseaton
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Post by William Swiger on Oct 9, 2011 18:40:29 GMT
Nice Viking!!
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Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
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Post by Lunaman on Oct 9, 2011 18:44:15 GMT
I know the profile taper, tip, and grind are ahistorical, but I DO NOT CARE. That's got to be one of the most attractive Suontaka interpretations I've ever seen. Very nice, Keltic!
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Post by SwordFan on Oct 9, 2011 19:15:04 GMT
Iv got the French Knight sword from Rob at Castle Keep and it's a real beauty , one of my favourite single handers . Here is a quick pic : Rob's work is really outstanding with close attention paid to detail . The handling is also really good . I hope someday to be able to get a couple of more pieces from him .
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Post by wnydel on Oct 10, 2011 22:10:34 GMT
Wow those are beautiful! I'm sold, now I just have to come up with the funds....
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Post by dst on May 27, 2018 14:10:36 GMT
good morrow rob miller is an outstanding sword smith .he helped disine a dirk for the prince of wales of england he did the blade trust me when i tell you this Rob is a master craftsmen. you made a wonderfull choce !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! heres my lasted commision from rob miller custum viking the hard wear on the handle is silver and the blade is hollow ground CHEERS keltic/tseaton That looks incredible. How much did it cost?
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Post by jroney5 on Oct 23, 2019 0:52:07 GMT
Eh i beg to differ. Yes his work has great potential. Some buyers have good experiences, but not I. I paid Castle Keep over $3000 for a custom agincourt. The experience was plagued with delays to the point that he didn't quite get the order right by the time he got around to it. I did not want to spend the extra $ on a scabbard that wouldn't be displayed but he made one anyway. A small mistake yes but it cost about $700 more. I ended up paying about $1000 more than what i originally agreed on due to exchange rates shipping and pay pal charges. As an owner of dozens of swords i was very surprised when it showed up with more flaws than my $300 dollar swords. The half wire wrap was loose and could be worked around to create a visible gap. The staining on the scabbard was rushed and uneven. The polish job on the blade was not mirror like as it should have been for the price i paid. It was uneven and just okay. Worst of all the blade had a minor bend about 3/4 of the way down. It could of been from shipping but it was packaged well for shipping and it showed no sign of freight damage. Possibly sent out that way hoping i wouldn't notice it? The return shipping was well over $100. Rob offered to fix the bend with "a spot of heat" and reship at no additional cost. However i had my concerns about the blade retaining its hardness if it had been heated and not re-quenched/tempered properly. On top of the other issues. - Rob decided to sell it to someone else when i suggested he keep the deal we had originally agreed on after almost two years of waiting. So i lost all that time and shipping cost & wasn't even offered a correct replacement. I would bet whoever bought it has a $3000 wall hanger that wasn't properly heat treated after repair. I took my refund and bought an Albion & a Valiant Armoury blade & still saved $.
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
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Post by stormmaster on Oct 23, 2019 0:59:16 GMT
pics of the agincourt in question?
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Post by theophilus736 on Oct 23, 2019 1:14:16 GMT
Yeah I've heard sketchy stuff as well. The looks aren't quite up my alley either.
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Post by jroney5 on Oct 23, 2019 1:47:58 GMT
I uploaded a picture above....It did have a great feel to it; weight and balance wise but too many small issues. He did actually offer to make another for me but after waiting 18 months & then having him just sell it to someone else I wasn't very happy.
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Post by nerdthenord on Oct 23, 2019 14:37:14 GMT
I'll certainly post an honest review when I get mine. I did go with an extremely utilitarian design so we will see if the fit and finish are better on mine. The agreed upon price I received Saturday was actually 200 dollars cheaper than the original quote, probably because I removed a ton of ahistoric fantasy elements that were on my original design and went strictly with a historical design.
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Post by Siward on Oct 23, 2019 17:14:24 GMT
I have a custom longsword and there was nothing wrong with either the sword or scabbard when I got the them nor in fact now some 18 months later.
I also have an order slot which is due soon and which I wouldn’t have kept if the first sword was poor.
I’m sure he does occasionally make lemons, no one can be good all the time. jroney5, did you contact him?
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Post by metinemre on Dec 31, 2023 2:45:46 GMT
I ordered a sword in June 2017, sent him pictures of how I want the blade to be. We discussed every detail regarding weight, length, hilt. His estimate was 12 months. I sent 60 GBP almost $100 deposit. I waited 14 months and contacted again and he said, he will be starting my commission in 4-5 weeks. Since he didn`t start for it, I sent him new specs and new pictures with new details. (switched from a scimitar to a single hand leafblade) When he said he is starting I asked him to send me a few sketches to make sure we are on the same page. He sent me a sketch and I told him I definitely don`t want the blade design to be like that. No reply. Sent another email, again no reply. Few months later he sent me a picture of an almost completed sword that is nothing like I asked for. It was made based on his sketch that I declined to proceed. Then he told me he sent me few emails but I never answered so he assumed I liked it. After waiting so much time I said ok I may get it but this sword looks super hefty what`s the weight for it? It ended up half a pound heavier than what I originally requested with my designs so I told him I don`t want a sword that is not what I asked for nor that heavy blade. He got all mad and said "give me a break" and ceased the communications and never refunded my deposit either. So custom project ended up a total joke with financial loss for me and then he advertised it on FB and sold that sword to someone else.
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